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December 3, 2012Timely reminders, fabulous freebies, best sites & more "worth the surf"

Supplement Your Stretched BudgetGetEdFundingis CDW-G’snew website to help educators and institutions find the funds theyneed to supplement already stretched budgets. GetEdFunding is a freeand fresh resource, which hosts a collection of more than 750 grantsand opportunities culled from federal, state, regional and communitysources and available to public and private, prekindergarten throughgrade 12 educators, schools and districts, higher educationinstitutions and nonprofit organizations that work with them. Thesite offers customized searches by six criteria, including 41 areasof focus, eight content areas and any of the 21st century themes andskills that support your curriculum. Once you are registered on thesite, you can save the grants of greatest interest and then return toread about them at any time.Click Here to Visit Website

Find Support for Your Special ProjectsDonorsChoose.orgis an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help studentsin need. Public school teachers from every corner of America postclassroom project requests on the DonorsChoose website, and donorscan give any amount to a project that most inspires them. When aproject reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose will ship thematerials to the school. Donors will get photos of the project takingplace, a letter from the teacher and insight into how every dollarwas spent. Donors who give more than $50 will also receivehandwritten thank-yousfrom the students.Deadline: OngoingClick Here for More Information

Teach and Travel in ChinaSino-AmericanBridge for Education and Health(SABEH) is offering a five-week opportunity to experience Chineseculture, schools, teaching and travel with eager Chinese teachers ofEnglish while sharing American methods of teaching English basedheavily on oral interchange. The program, which runs from Julythrough August 2013, involves four weeks of teaching and one freeweek of travel in China. American teachers pay for visas andinternational airfare, half of which will be reimbursed after thefirst week of teaching. Since American teachers are volunteers,Chinese hosts take care of all the rest: half the internationalairfare, in-country travel, and room and board.Deadline: December 31, 2012 for applicationsClick Here for More Information

Spark Students’ CreativityePals,in partnership with the Smithsonian’sLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation,has launched InventIt, the second annualinvention contest for K–12 students. This year the contest includesboth a school theme and an opened-ended theme for students seekingmore freedom in their creative projects. In Challenge1 (school theme),students think about a problem in their school and come up with aninvention to solve it. In Challenge2 (school theme),students find an invention that is used in their school and tell howthey would improve it. And in Challenge3 (open-ended theme),students think about a real-world problem that exists today andinvent something that could help solve it. Each challenge has fourage categories for submission: ages 5–7, 8–11, 12–14 and 15 andup. Submissions, which can be in the form of videos, PowerPointpresentations or printed documents, will be judged on originality,effectiveness, creativity and technical quality. This year thechallenge has added another layer to the final evaluation process,with an "ePalsChoice Award.”ePals and Smithsonian community members will have a chance to voteonline from among those top winners beginning on January17, 2013, KidInventors’ Day.Also, finalists will have the opportunity to "market” theirproduct to voters during a month-long campaign before all winners areannounced. Prizes will be provided by sponsors, including LEGO andthe Columbia, South Carolina–based law firm Nelson Mullins Riley &Scarborough LLP.Deadlines:January 4, 2013 for submission of inventions; all winners announcedon February 4, 2013 Click Here for More Information

Open a Book and Drive for 10TheFast Break for Readingcampaign is a joint initiative between the InternationalReading Association (IRA),the AmericanBasketball Association(ABA) and classroomteachers nationwideto encourage students to read for 10 minutes a day, with a goal of amillion minutes read nationwide by the conclusion of the program.After you sign up for the program, you can download the officialProgram Reading Log and Certificate of Participation. Photocopy anddistribute the logs to your students, who will record their minutes.At the end of each month, collect the logs from your students, tallythe total minutes for that month and submit your students’ reading"tally” for that month. The website will take care of trackingyour totals for the program for your account. Each student whoparticipates in the program will receive a Certificate ofParticipation and is eligible to receive a one-time General AdmissionFast Break for Reading Program Ticket to attend an ABA game of thestudent’s choice. Participating students who fulfill their readingrequirements during the duration of the program are also eligible fora chance to win a Grand Prize: a student who reads the most totalminutes nationally and is taught by the teacher who accumulates themost total minutes nationally earns round-trip airfare for thestudent and two chaperones and a one-night hotel stay for one ABAFinals game. The program contestant teacher who accumulates the mosttotal minutes nationally for the program is eligible for a chance towin round-trip airfare for two and a one-night hotel stay for one ABAFinals game.Deadline: Ongoing through March 10, 2013Click Here for More Information

Head to the Closet, Discover InterdependenceTheGlobal ClosetCalculator, fromNational GeographicEducation, is atwo-part interactivelesson oninterdependence for elementary students. The first part of the lessonasks students to identify the origins of objects from their closetsat home. Students enter the names of those items into the calculatorto see a map of the origins of their closet items. Students can alsosee a map of the items entered by others using the Global ClosetCalculator. The second part of the lesson asks students to makedecisions about the manufacturing of MP3 players and jeans, includingthe sourcing of materials and labor practices. A short videointroduces the options. After making their decisions, students watchanother short video that explains the potential implications of theirdecisions.Click Here to Access Free Interactive Lesson

Help Students Become Better SearchersGooglehas created a series of lessons to help teachers guide their studentsto use web searches meaningfully in their schoolwork and beyond.Google SearchEducation providesfreeSearch LiteracyLesson Plansand "AGoogle a Day”Challenges. Thesearch literacy lessons help teachers meet the new Common Core StateStandards and are grouped based on level of search expertise:Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced. "A Google a Day” Challengeshelp students put their search skills to the test as they usetechnology to discover the world around them. The challenges areorganized into the following categories: Culture, Geography, History,Science.Click Here to Access Free Search Resources

Reflect on Judgment and ResponsibilityOn November 20, 1945, 24high-ranking Nazis went on trial for atrocities committed duringWorld War II. The Nuremberg Trials, held from 1945 to 1949,were a galvanizing moment in history, international law and humanrights. Nuremberg Remembered is a free 12-minutedocumentary about the Nuremberg Trials. It combines botharchival footage and modern-day interviews with trial participantswho served in a variety of roles, including members of the legal teamfor the prosecution and a journalist reporting on the events for thepress. A set of three lessons, along with the documentary,introduces teachers and students to the essential questions ofjudgment and responsibility that were initially posed at the end ofWorld War II and continue to be raised in the twenty-first century.Extension activities and resources at the end of the lessons provideideas and activities for more in-depth study of judgment, past andpresent. The lessons, entitled "The Road to Nuremberg,” "Guiltand Responsibility” and "Reflections and Legacies,” areprovided free of charge by Facing History and Ourselves.Click Here to ViewFree DocumentaryClick Here to Download Free Lessons

Get Students Excited About ReadingTales2Gois an award-winning children’saudiobook servicethat works like Pandora, giving educators and students instant andunlimited access to thousands of name-brand titles from leadingpublishers to play on desktops, laptops and Apple mobile devices—inthe classroom and beyond. Use the audiobooks with individual studentsor in groups, in conjunction with printed text or for some funlistening.Click Here to Start Free 30-Day Trial

Trace the Origins of AphorismsAesop’sFables—alsocalled "the Aesopica”—are a collection ofstories intended toteach moral lessons.The stories are credited to Aesop, a Greek slave and storytellerthought to have lived between 620 and 560 BCE. The Aesop’sFables interactivebook, presented bythe Library ofCongress, was adaptedfrom The Aesop forChildren: with Pictures by Milo Winter,published by Rand, McNally & Co. in 1919. The interactive bookcontains more than 140 classic fables, accompanied by charmingillustrations and interactive animations: a choosy heron eyes thefish swimming at his feet, a fox swishes his tail, a mouse chews arope and frees a lion. The interactive book can be read on the web,on an iPadand on an Androiddevice.ClickHere to Visit WebsiteClick Here to Access Free iPad AppClick Here to Access Free Android App

Hit the "Target” Number5Dice iPadapp is a freemath gamethat helps upper elementary and middle school students practice theorder of operations. The game encourages students to use higher orderthinking to solve the "target” number by working backward, giventhe answer but not the equation. After they are provided the number,students have to write an equation, using all of the dice presentedto them. When they think they have created an equation that willresult in the number given to them, students click "shoot” to hitthe target number. If they have written a correct equation, 5Dice will show themother equations that will also work. If they have not written acorrect equation, 5Dicewill prompt them to try again. In addition to the "target numbergame,” students can use the app’s whiteboardoption to try outvarious ways to hit their target numbers. Teachers can receiveimmediate feedback of their students’ progress through email. Theapp also includes printablegame sheets. Downloadthe app at no chargefrom the iTunes App Store.Click Here to Access Free iPad App

Turn a Book into a Digital ClassroomSubtextis a freeiPad appthat allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages ofdigital texts. When you and your students annotate a book or adocument in Subtext, notes are linked to a specific passage, sothere’s a built-in emphasis on the source text and close reading.In addition, Subtext allows you to layer all types of web contentover texts—videos, photographs and links to articles, blog posts,maps and even locations on Google Street View. Immediate access to avariety of related information encourages students to compare andcontrast different media and creates a more complete picture of astory or topic. You can also browse by grade level the Common Corerecommended texts available in Subtext; many more books will be addedduring the school year. In addition, a feature called "Save toSubtext” lets you search the web for interesting nonfiction contentto read with your class. The freeapp is available for downloading in the iTunes App Store.Click Here to Access Free iPad App

Capture a Modern Moment of HistoryTheHistorypin Android appreveals photos near your current location and allows you to view themlayered over the modern scene in front of you. You can also explorecollections of some of the best old photos from around the world,wherever you are. You can add your own piece of history and pin it tothe map too by using your phone to digitize an old photo, capture amodern moment of historic importance or take a modern replica of aphoto on the app. Historypin was created by the not-for-profitcompany We Are What WeDo, in partnershipwith Google.The app is freeto download for Android.Click Here to Access Free Android App

Trace Space Back to YouNASA@ Home and City is avirtual tour ofNASA-related sciencethat is everywhere we look. Students visiting NASA @ Home and Citycan rotate buildings and take a look inside to discover everydayitems, the development of which has been influenced by spaceexploration. Each item within a building has a narrated explanationof how that item was influenced by NASA technology. For example,students can take a look inside the bathroom of a house to learn howtechnology used at NASA has had an impact on the development ofcosmetics and toothpaste.Click Here to Visit Website

Solve Puzzles for ScienceFolditis an interactivecomputer gameenabling students to contribute to important scientific research. Inthe Folditgame, players arepresented with puzzles that start with a snaking arrangement of aminoacids, identical to the sequence of an actual protein. Players thenhave to fold that sequence into a complex 3-D structure that fits thelaws of chemistry. The closer players get to folding a realisticlooking molecule, the higher they score, and the more researcherslearn about how proteins loop and scrunch inside living cells. Click Here to Visit Website

See How Cells Function in Real LifeMeta!Blastis a real-time 3-Daction-adventure video game,aimed at high school and undergraduate student audiences. The game ismeant to provide an entertaining, engaging experience whilesimultaneously educating players about cell biology. By playingMeta!Blast,students will be introduced to the concepts of respiration,photosynthesis and the functions of various organelles in a mannercomplementary to the textbook. Students will also be introduced tohow the living cell actually appears through a biologically accuratevirtual replica of a cell environment. They will be presented with aseries of puzzles and goals, such as having to create oxygen, whichwill require them to think critically in order to come to thesolutions. By actively participating in these biological processes,students will "learn by discovery.” The website provides accessto the game and supplementary learning materials as well as ideas forstudents and educators.Click Here to Visit Website

Join a Professional Learning Community with WebinarsOverthe past year, edWebhas hosted more than 100 webinarson topics for professional development, including game-basedlearning, mobile learning, Common Core Standards, autism, technology,e-books, new teacher help, blended learning, and more. All edWebwebinars are archived in edWeb’s professional learning communities.Join a community, watch the webinar recordings, take the CE quiz, andyou’ll receive a certificate for participation. As a member of anedWeb community, you’ll be invited to future, freewebinars and will have the opportunity to connect with peers for ahighly engaging and interactive webinar with edWeb’s expertpresenters.Click Here to Join edWeb Communities

Join the Movement to Transform Literacy Teaching and LearningThe National Centerfor Literacy Education (NCLE) is building a coalition ofstakeholders representing the premiere education organizations,policy analysts, researchers and foundations who are working togetherto identify and share the plans, practices, support systems andassessments used by educator teams working to improve literacylearning. NCLE is providing the Literacy in Learning Exchange asa free resource to all educator teams. All educators areinvited to use the free site to build or further develop ateam in their school, district or across schools/districts, or in anout-of-school setting. After you create your free login, youcan view videos, articles, recordings and more. You can also read,tag, save and respond to the extensive resources and add yourprofessional learning group to the NCLE network of collaborativeteams. And you can assess and strengthen your group with thecustomized online tools. NCLE will celebrate the work of successfulschool teams across the country that are achieving remarkable resultsin advancing literacy learning and share what is learned witheducation policymakers.Click Here to Visit Website

Track Down Famous ArtworksHangoutQuest is a Google+game that allows students to go on avirtual scavenger huntinside the Palace of Versailles.The object of the scavenger hunt is to find artwork and other objectsin the palace. If they invite others to their Hangout, students cancompete against them in a race to find the objects first. HangoutQuest uses the Street View imageryof Google Maps to bring students inside the Palace of Versailles.Facial tracking technology allows students to move around the Palaceof Versailles by just moving their head instead of clicking aroundwith their mouse. Visit the website to see the HangoutQuest in action.Click Here to Visit Website

Examine How Artists Portrayed the Civil WarThisinteractive timeline,from the Smithsonian American ArtMuseum, displays how artists haveportrayed the Civil War. Webcastsof presentations from a symposium entitled Effectsof the Civil War on American Artexamine the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Americanlandscape and genre painting, along with the period’s new medium ofphotography. The webcast took place on November 16, but is archivedfor future viewing.Click Here to Access TimelineClick Here to Access Webcasts

Plus: The museumhas produced a free downloadable curriculum guide foreducators to use in their classrooms. The program combinesinteractive videoconferences and classroom activitiesto prompt discussion of the Civil War conflict as seen through theart of the period. A special videoconference series will beoffered for ninth- through twelfth-grade teachers and their students.The spring series begins February 12, 2013.Click Here to Access Curriculum Resources

Share Wildlife ExperiencesProjectNoah is a global collaboration toolto explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the powerof citizen scientists everywhere. The Project Noah Missionsfor the Classroom section includesdozens of challenging and meaningful investigations that touch onnearly every key concept in the life sciences, from adaptation andnatural selection to conservation and biodiversity. Browse throughthe growing list of ongoing missions and find one that inspires you,or create a place-based custom mission for your classroom that givesyour students the chance to experience science firsthand by examiningthe natural world that’s right outside the window. Also findteacher-created, teacher-tested resources that can help you getstarted using Project Noah in your classroom.Click Here to Visit Website

BrowseK12TeacherStore.com fora wide variety of products published by leading K–12 educationcompanies, all of them delivered digitally. Many of the ebooks can beused on interactive whiteboards and various mobile reading devices.All of the books whose covers you see displayed are on sale at a 15%discount. To stay informed about what’s going on with ebooks inK–12 schools, sign up for the freeenewsletter,K12TeacherFile.

Download a free eBook of the popular print edition of The Big Deal Book of Technology for K–12 Educators. Explore the many opportunities to fund your special programs, access timely reports and articles, locate free and inexpensive resources and identify engaging interactive Web sites.

Signup at TheBig Deal BookWebsite for hELLo!,afree quarterly ELL e-newsletterthatincludes a wealth of information on interactive resources forstudents, teachers, librarians, principals and others involved in theeducation of English language learners.

JoinThe Big Deal Bookof Technology’s"AmazingResources for Educators” communityon the edWeb to get more frequent updates on grantdeadlines, freeresourcesand hot new sites for21st century learning.And, of course, you can share any great new resources that you’veunearthed!

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